My second pregnancy ended at 26 weeks (6 months visit) with a baby boy weighing 1 1/2 pounds. After a quick ambulance ride to top level care, I was put on magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures. Their intent was to save me; if he survived that was good, too. He was strong and did well. He spent 3 1/2 months in the NICU (1990). He's had 8 surgeries; none life-threatening. At age 22 he learned he had Hep-C from a blood donor and was successfully treated. He's 25 now, working near full-time again and engaged to be married.
We thought we'd never have another child but within three months, we were expecting our daughter. I felt this amazing peace from God that things would be ok. The hospital saw me twice each week until late when my bp went up. Then it was three times a week. Back then it was bed rest but no medicine. When I began swelling I knew that drinking a lot of water every day would help flush it away. I drank like a fish. Good practice for breast-feeding anyway. Maybe that, the extra rest and my mother-in-law's help around the house made the difference. Despite preeclampsia again my daughter was born two weeks early by planned C-section. She was fine and weighed 7 pounds 8 1/2 oz. She was my only easy baby and breast-fed well. She also did best in school and is the only one who has graduated college.
I'll never know if the difference in the womb has been the reason for that.
